Meal time

Looking at old photos, I noticed I regularly took shots of us sitting round eating breakfast. It's a great time to be sure to get everyone, since we all have to stay sitting...





"Mom, can we have more..."
(I guess it's time to put down the camera and get back to the business of eating.)

Secrets of Cookie making

Cookies made with helpers taste better. The more fingers, the tastier!

An added bonus of having helpers is that cleaning up that messy dough left over is willingly taken care of!

When shaping cookies, the bigger the cookie, the better. If a whole row melts into one giant cookie it will be the best one of the batch!
The kids want to know what a cookie the size of a cookie sheet would taste like!

Who knew that cookie making to perfection required so many helpers?

Waiting for Daddy

Tummies are empty and spirits are low.
But soon, hopefully, we'll all be refilled.
Charged up again 'til bedtime

Budding Artist

Daniel feels he's a very talented individual. Born with much skill, his artistic side is no exception, and (according to him), is far more developed that other children his age (and those older).


He finds himself especially adept at adding finishing touches to other people's works of art. There is the added pleasure of hearing people complain (squawk loudly) if they weren't prepared to admit their own masterpiece was anything but perfection, and did not want any revisions or additions made.


Unfortunately, Daniel's appetite for art is not always satiated with merely delving in a bit of drawing. To really get into a project, he likes to sample his materials,
(that red stuff in his mouth includes more than just his tongue)


unfortunately, his mother does not approve of this.
Thus, the early development of his skills are ended.
(As well as his chalk snack.)

Rainy Day

Maybe I'll believe those people who say the weather changes moods.

This morning was lousy. A fuzzy blur, a grumbly unsuccessful venture.

My entire morning accomplishments were:
one bad mood
one vacuumed house (300+ ants included)
ten toys stepped on
four cranky kids (due to neglect and their mother's aforementioned bad mood)
one car seat/booster seat switcheroo
one unleavened loaf of bread tossed out into the compost.

The unleavened bread was just a bit much for me this morning. It smelled so good (drool). But then seeing the small lump of dough in the bread pan after such a poor morning, and to top it all off, so long after passover, all this failed to excite any enthusiasm in me. Quite the opposite. AND I had spent two minutes this morning hovering over the bread maker checking and double checking to make sure that all the necessary ingredients were there. I suspected something was missing. It was my brains. (The lack of yeast may have had a little to do with it too.)

To your health

Did you have a healthy breakfast this morning?

A clear case of too much sugar

We were at a party today, and the after effects of the loot bags the kids took home were a bit noticeable.

Nathan gobbled his sugar laden articles at a remarkable pace. Remarkable, especially when you compare this with his ability to eat speedily at lunchtime when his dear mother is in a hurry for nap time. Once he finished his own he managed to convince Melanie not to save any of her candy for tomorrow. After all, it's not as much fun to be a glutton all by yourself!


Melanie obliged without any complaints, only too happy to follow any excuse to gluttony. She was probably already wondered why she'd thought saving the candy for another day was wise. After having consumed it all, she was rather pleased with the results. Her mother, however thought she ought to tone things down a little. There are times when I feel a bit grateful that there is only one girl in the house. Sugar does crazy things to her silly factor.


Even Daniel got a sugar high, but I suspect that he was only pretending.


Matthew, believe it or not, did not like his candies, and handed them out one by one to the rest of us. (Score for me! Usually I have to snitch some from their bags while they're napping and hope they don't notice. Today I was a good mommy.)

Crazy busy

So, we have swung from feeling down to feeling crazy busy.
So much that, we've hardly been home,
except with fabulous company.
Which leaves us with the question of

what can we throw together for dinner?

ill help

Since my parents were here, I have changed (a little) how I do things. Especially in regards to my kitchen. I had always, as far back as I can remember, had the "out of MY kitchen while I'm cooking dinner" rule. But after seeing how much the kids enjoyed helping Grandma out in the kitchen, and, well, rethinking the whole thing, I have changed my mind (a little).

After all, the rule started because at dinner time I was tired and hungry and the kids were tired and hungry. When I am tired and hungry, I especially like my space, and I zone out on the kids and focus on the work that I'm doing. When the kids are tired and hungry they come whining to me, or when I don't allow that, they start picking on each other. Now, after the good example set to me, I TRY to book more time to make my meals (as well as double the meals for the freezer so that I have a day off next time around) so that I can relax (a little) and focus on a more family friendly approach to cooking. Having a bite to eat before starting helps (a little) to eliminate the hungry part from my scenario too. And, what do you know! The kids are happier too (a little), since they get to have me when they're tired and hungry. If everything works out, that is. Right now the idea is new, so it is all (a little) too ideal, and will be sure to deteriorate (a little).

We're still all (a little) sick, with runny noses and coughs, and more easily tired than usual. Hopefully the kids don't sneeze too much in the food while they're helping, and don't spread the cold round to others. But then again, who else will be eating the food that isn't already exposed?

Morning people

I have often wondered if there is such a thing as a morning person.

It seems like an oxymoron to me.

If you do enjoy mornings, can you really be a person?


Poor Matthew had to be woken up this morning
since the rest of us were too hungry to let him have his beauty sleep.
(Good thing he's a guy...so it doesn't matter as much
if he never becomes beautiful.)


Perhaps I should go grocery shopping soon, or else put some effort into breakfast.
Cheerios are actually kinda gross...
good thing we are all pretty hungry first thing in the morning!

Choices

What should it be?
Clean up BREAKFAST dishes quickly and make the house look presentable

or quickly chuck something edible together for supper?

Feel good about a clean house and order in some cheap food (gross)
or feel good in my tummy.

OK, OK, I already have decided obviously.
Now to do it.

Blond Moment or Pregnancy Brain?

(Seems like I have to lock my keys in the van/car at least once each pregnancy.
I can't remember doing it with the last pregnancy...but maybe that's because I'd already done it once when I was still unmarried? Or maybe I just forgot about that one.)

I've done it again.

Me and the kids pull up at the mall to do my annual bulk barn and dry sausage run at the mall (it being farmer's market Wednesday). I put my keys in my purse, opened up the door, hit the unlock button (so I thought--but I actually pushed it the OTHER way, which is lock!) and stepped out to open the hatch at the back. I shut the door. (Usually I double check where my keys are, or hang them around my neck because I JUST KNOW I'm gonna do it to myself again sometime.) I try open the back of the van.
No go.

It's locked!!!!

Out of my mouth a bad word leaps forth (with the back window open a crack this is bad for young ears! :o ).

Once my pounding heart subsided, some logical thinking began...and the problem was solved in less than two minutes.

FORTUNATELY Nathan is no longer a baby. He is also in a booster seat. He can undo the seat belt, get out entirely unaided. The solution was simply a matter of instructing him to get out, climb to the front of the van, and push the unlock button I was pointing at.

The van is unlocked. I lunge for my purse (and keys), and thank my oldest son profusely!!

(Can't wait 'til next pregnancy. ;) )

stuff

home grown tomatoes
It's hard to catch them before they rot. Any hints?


Long term project: first 100 piece puzzle

more veggies and nuts, less fruits for snack

midwife's orders:
(actually, she'd say not peanut butter, but peanuts instead. and no raisins--they're much too high in sugar!)

Recipe for Bugs on a Log:
celery cut into logs
peanut butter for sap/glue
raisins for bugs...any kind of bug you like...mine were ladybugs and ants and Nathan's were centipedes


Yup, I had a checkup today. I'm gaining weight nicely--nicely for the baby anyways, not as nicely for my modeling career perhaps. But I'm sure that's nothing a crash diet can't fix once the baby is out. Heehee. ;)

I had fun fiddling around with some pregnancy calculators. I'm obese, by the way. But only by 1 pound. If I was 1 pound less pre-pregnancy, then I'd be allowed to gain 25-35 pounds. But alas, I am over the mark, so only 15-25 is considered healthy for me. Actually--that's all true for last pregnancy. This time I WASN'T obese. Lucky me. But that also means I've only got 6 more lbs of healthy weight gain 'til mid November. I'm sure that's gonna happen. ;) Too bad I don't believe the calculators...time to go have another slice of double chocolate mousse pie, followed by an extra creamy strawberry milkshake.
Mmmm.
Too bad there's none in the house.

But seriously, the baby appears to be quite healthy. Yay! And so am I(BMI and pregnancy weight gain calculators disregarded). But I have a bit of heartburn just now. No more tomatoey soups for lunch I guess. *sigh* It was soooo healthy though. Baby just loved it.

Here we go 'round the mulberry bush

Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush
Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush
So early in the afternoon


As far as picking goes, Matthew was a cherry picker, not a mulberry picker. That is, he'd bend down to pick up fallen dirty ones 'cause then he knew I'd say "No, don't touch those Matthew, they're yucky!" and promptly give him a good one to ensure good behavior (temporary good behavior, I mean.)

If you've read "Blueberries for Sal" by Robert McCloskey, you'll see that Melanie is a perfect little Sal.



There were no bears...but she did share her berries with Matthew, and had nothing left over in her pail at the end.

Nathan was a fabulous helper! It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't eat any!!


Yup, that bowl of berries were ALL picked by him. He, however, didn't share with Matthew OR Melanie. Both him and I had to keep saying:
"No Sal,
Run along and pick your own berries."
(Mother wants to can hers for the winter)
Or gobble them up in a day or two. :)